Blues v Highlanders
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@kiwimurph said in Blues v Highlanders:
@african-monkey yeah has a must win feel for the Highlanders and Gordon Hunter Trophy tends to add spice to these clashes.
Highlanders lacking the talent department but yeah, they always get up for this fixture.
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The Highlanders have confirmed they have “a couple” of Covid-19 cases before the Blues game on Friday.
There were a number of changes to the team announced to face the Blues on Friday, although general manager Greg O’Brien said on Wednesday they would not be identifying the players involved.
The Highlanders have still managed to put out a competitive side with a forward pack that is close to full strength, although the backline has lost some size with the absences of midfielder Fetuli Paea and winger Sam Gilbert.
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the more i think about it the more i would actually like to see koroi on the bench rather than Banks, less experienced yes but more versatile and actually has some x factor, banks is never goig to come on and turn a game around
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@african-monkey said in Blues v Highlanders:
Feel like this could be a close one as well with the changes made, and Goodhue who has been one of our best missing. The Highlanders are always competitive too.
eh, sometimes.
We played them twice last year at Eden Park.
The first time we dominated so hard it could have been a 50 point hiding.
The final was tight, despite the Blues dominating over most of the field. And that's kinda the hallmark of the current Blues side - they can be dominant everywhere but the scoreboard, and some scores against the run of play or stupid penalties can swing tight games that should have been comfortable.
Learning how to turn dominance into points is a shedload easier than trying to dominate... that's the hard part. So I am optimistic, but you'd have to be to be a long term Blues fan eh.
Blue by a thowwwsand
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@kiwiwomble said in Blues v Highlanders:
the more i think about it the more i would actually like to see koroi on the bench rather than Banks, less experienced yes but more versatile and actually has some x factor, banks is never goig to come on and turn a game around
For his own team.
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@bovidae that would almost make more sense, Punavai has also largely been used as a wing for the highlanders
you wold think they Highlanders own socials would have got it right though
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@kiwiwomble said in Blues v Highlanders:
@bovidae that would almost make more sense, Punavai has also largely been used as a wing for the highlanders
you wold think they Highlanders own socials would have got it right though
With a bit of omicron around maybe it is a safety change if Punivai has mild symptoms but not positive at least they can prepare with Gregory?
Just a theory -
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@dice It would have been easier to contain, for sure, because the players had no contact with family and friends in Queenstown and could minimize contact with outsiders. Since their return home, they run the risk of getting infected via partners, children and friends.
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@dice said in Blues v Highlanders:
Was leaving Queenstown a mistake?
It was very badly done, lets go into a bubble and leave just as cases are reaching peak in Auckland and will be getting there elsewhere over the next few weeks. But there was obvs no appetite in the players to go into a bubble, maybe ‘cos they’re thinking long term and the Trans- Ta$man games will almost certainly al be in Oz
